Numbers+ iPhone App Review.

So you think the Contacts app doesn’t have what it takes to satisfy your every needs? Want a faster way to add new contacts and share your info with them? There are various apps for this out there, Bump is my favorite, but Numbers+ wants to take on the myth that adding phone numbers ca be pain-free.

Adding new contacts to your Address book

If you want to find a suitable replacement for the Contacts app on your iPhone, here’s a quick primer on what to look for. I decided to evaluate Numbers+ based on how fast you can add a new contact, how can you share your own information with the newly created contact and what other options you have when you want to complete the contact entry, such as entering an email, an address, etc.

Hopefully, by pitting Numbers+ against Contacts, you can get a better idea of what to look for in a potential replacement for your Contacts.

Numbers+ was built for speed

I timed myself entering the same contact information (first name, last name and a phone number) into both the Contacts app and using Numbers+. It took me 18.5 seconds to open Contacts, find the “+” button and enter the required information. A total of four taps, from opening the app to adding a contact, not counting the entering of the information itself.

With Numbers+, it took me 17.6 seconds - almost 1 second faster - or a total of 5 taps. If you’re looking for speed, perhaps Numbers+ is the way to go, although the difference is not remarkable.

Winner: Numbers+

Numbers+ was built for sharing

Once you enter the information into the app, you can choose to share your own contact info with the person you just entered into your Address book. You can do so via a text, calling them or emailing them, although for this last one you’ll need to ask the person’s email address.

The Contacts app has no options to easily share your contact information.

Winner: Numbers+

Numbers+ wasn’t built for complete contact information

If you want to jot down the person’s email address, company or job description, or any other information, including birthday, another phone number or their physical address, you’re out of luck with Numbers+. There are no such options, so after you’ve completed a new contact card in under 18.5 seconds, you need to open Contacts and enter the rest of the information there.

This is a bit of a pain!

Winner: Contacts.

The judges have decided

The user will ultimately decide if Numbers+ is worth it, so this is me just throwing in my two cents. I love the speed of Numbers+ and the fact that the app begins by asking the person’s phone number and you can then fill in the name. It’s wicked fast and it’s structured around what matters. I almost always jot down the phone number first, and name later, perhaps filling it in myself, without asking for it (I mean, hey I’ve been talking to you long enough to ask for your phone number, I better damn well know your name).

But I would still stick with Contacts. The extra second and the lack of sharing options don’t bother me at all. I can always phone the other person back at any time and let him know who I am. The fact that I don’t have to reply on a third party app to do something that an app that ships with my iPhone already has on it, does it for me.

How safe is the information you enter into Numbers+?

But wait, there's one more thing you need to take into account. Numbers+ doesn't store the contact information you enter into it only on your iPhone. It also uploads everything up to its servers. That's why the app won't work if you don't have internet access. While you can most certainly find a Wifi network wherever you are nowadays, if you don't already have a data plan with your network provider, my big question is why is the app Numbers+ store all my information onto their servers, how safe is it and why haven't I been told about it before it happened?

Sure, it makes searching and adding a number way easier, but why should I enter my contact information and that of my close friends, relatives or new people I meet through this app when other people will also have access to everything I type in there? That's a huge issue that the developers need to account for.

In the developers' own words, "Numbers+ is like a phone book with public records." And you're the one adding the records. And by the way, there's no privacy policy available anywhere. Numbers+ just slipped through the cracks of Apple's review process, because we all know how strict they are about disclosing information and protecting the users' privacy.

In the end, there’s only one way to make up your mind. Numbers+ is available for free in the AppStore and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t at least give it a try. Just bear in mind that what you enter in there might be visible to prying eyes!